No single council chose the New Testament's 27 books.
Imported citation, not independently checked: B. M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament (1987)
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How was the New Testament canon decided?
How was the New Testament canon decided?
The current answer
A four-century sorting, not a vote in a room.
What remains uncertain
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Marcion is the first figure we know to have published a fixed, closed list of Christian books.
Imported citation, not independently checked: B. D. Ehrman, Lost Christianities (2003)
Irenaeus defended four gospels around 180 CE.
Imported citation, not independently checked: Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.11.8
Athanasius first lists exactly the current 27 New Testament books in his Easter letter of 367.
Imported citation, not independently checked: Athanasius, 39th Festal Letter (367)
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